From Power to Prison: Alejandro Toledo's Legal Challenges

On Wednesday, former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo received a second prison sentence stemming from a case involving Brazilian construction behemoth Odebrecht. Judge Josefa Izaga handed down the 13-year and four-month sentence for money laundering charges, marking another legal blow for Toledo.

In October 2024, Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months for bribery and corruption. Authorities have accused the former leader of taking $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for a lucrative highway construction contract. This conviction adds to a growing list of ex-Peruvian leaders entangled in similar scandals.

With Odebrecht's confessed history of bribery across Latin America, the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation has triggered inquiries in multiple countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Toledo was extradited to Peru in 2023 after trying unsuccessfully to challenge his extradition from the United States, where he had been living since 2016.

(With inputs from agencies.)